Top Food Safety Perceived Risks in Restaurants

An independent survey of over 100 fast food and restaurant managers and directors in the UK reveals key food safety risks.

Worldwide it’s estimated that 600 million people, almost 1 in 10, become ill as a result of eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420 000 deaths.¹

Underpinned by food regulations, industry best practise, and food safety management systems such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), food safety continues to be a top priority for the food industry around the world.

From people factors to product-related risks, technology, and market expansion, the industry faces a range of challenges that need to be continually managed to help ensure the health and safety of consumers, and to help safeguard brand reputation.

In an independent survey commissioned by NSF, more than 100 managers and directors from fast food and restaurant chains across the UK shared their insights on the pressing risks and opportunities impacting their food safety operations for 2024 and 2025. This revealing survey provides a snapshot of the industry's current challenges, offering valuable benchmarks for organisations striving to navigate the evolving landscape of food safety and brand management.

The survey began with a question about the most significant risks impacting food safety operations and brand reputation in the immediate future. Respondents identified products, including contamination, allergens and storage (50%); and people, including staff knowledge, or lack thereof, and turnover (50%), as the greatest risks, followed by concerns about locations (33%), technology (27%), and last-mile delivery (21%).

Respondents highlighted the greatest risks to their food safety operations and brand reputation, concerning the products they serve.

Key findings:

• Allergen disclosure: identified as the top concern by 68% of respondents
• Product contamination: cited by 51% as a significant risk
• Space and appropriate storage: 40% were concerned about this
• Product recalls: highlighted by 30%.

These findings reflect growing awareness of, and concerns about, food allergens. Approximately 6% of the UK adult population has a clinically confirmed food allergy while 30% have reported “some types of adverse reactions when eating food”.²

Prevention strategies:

• Implement an allergen management system: this should include gathering up-to-date information on every aspect of the products served at your food business and the supply chain from which it is supplied. Effective communication with suppliers is essential in providing accurate information to your teams who, in turn, provide this to customers. Suppliers also have a legal obligation to provide a precise list of ingredients. You may well be able to reduce your company’s allergen risk by, quite simply, cutting down on the number of allergens you are using through menu planning.

• Create a food safety culture: effective staff training and engagement on this prioritised topic is critical. With the commensurate knowledge and robust processes, your team can identify allergens risks that should be addressed.

It is important to motivate your managers and staff, ideally as part of a wider culture of food safety. This means holding regular meetings, for example, with your kitchen staff and your front of house teams. Explain to them why allergen risks are so important – both to customers and to your business – and reiterate the proactive checks and procedures you need them to observe every time a customer communicates they have an allergy to a particular food product.

Make it clear that no short cuts can be tolerated, whatever time and cost pressures they are under. Some of your team may have allergies themselves, or know people who do, which will encourage their buy-in.

By prioritising these strategies, food businesses can better protect consumers, their operations, and uphold their brand reputation.

Taking a closer look at people factors, we asked respondents to specify the greatest risks to their food safety operations and brand reputation. The results reveal a significant connection between these people-related risks:

• Staff shortages: identified by 69% of respondents as the greatest risk. Staff shortages lead to increased workload and higher staff turnover.
• Staff retention: 67% of respondents highlighted staff retention as a significant risk. Low retention rates lead to a loss of operational knowledge and experience.
• Reduced consumer spending: 56% of respondents cited reduced consumer spending as another risk. In the face of financial pressure and a reduced workforce, it’s important not to maintain a clear focus on food safety and maintain routine cleaning and maintenance.

A correlation exists between a strong food safety culture and food safety knowledge. Food safety training or coaching could be a useful retention tool for companies struggling to retain staff.

Of the 33% who cited location as a significant risk to food safety, 88% expressed concern about new sites and/or franchisees coming on board and the challenges of embedding food safety requirements.

When asked about the technology-related risks factors impacting food safety operations and brand reputation, 80% of respondents reported that adapting to new technologies is their top concern. Other highlighted concerns were cloud-based software (30%), increased use of robotics and automated equipment (30%), AI (25%) and self-serve kiosks (25%).

Of the approximately 10 million tonnes of food waste generated in the UK every year, just over 1 million tonnes (10%) comes from the restaurant and hospitality sector.³ Reducing food waste is a major concern for 67% of respondents. 54% are concerned about making sure their supply chain is meeting sustainability requirements. Reducing carbon emissions and the use of more environmentally responsible packaging were each highlighted as concerns by 49% of respondents.

The restaurant sector can be fiercely competitive. This is underscored by 68% of respondents who are concerned about undercutting from competitors. 58% noted competition from new products while 52% said newcomers and innovators were a concern.

Last mile delivery emerged as the fifth significant risk to food safety operations and brand reputation. Among the respondents, 64% reported that late delivery was the most pressing issue, closely followed in joint second place (55%) by poor quality due to temperature issues and food safety issues. This underscores the critical nature of temperature control, a consistent theme in product-related responses, highlighting it as a perceived high-risk area.

We know that cold chain breaks, where temperature-sensitive products may encounter unfavourable conditions during transportation, can increase risks. And it seems our respondents agree.

Our survey concluded by investigating changes in priorities regarding food safety risks.

63% of respondents indicated no change in their priorities. Of the 37% who suggested that there had been a shift in their priorities, 29% cited allergens specifically with another 29% referencing an increased focus on food safety more broadly.

The basis of these insights is a study conducted for NSF through Centiment’s pre-recruited online survey panel. We asked 105 Operations Directors and Managers from QSR’s and restaurant chains in the UK about key trends impacting their business in 2024/25, and their perceptions towards food safety risks.

Sources

¹ World Health Organization: www.who.int/southeastasia/health-topics/food-safety

² Food Standards Agency: www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/around-6-of-the-uk-adult-population-have-a-food-allergy-new-report-from-the-food-standards-agency-finds

³ WRAP: www.wrap.ngo/sites/default/files/2024-01/WRAP-Food-Surplus-and-Waste-in-the-UK-Key-Facts%20November-2023.pdf